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RESPITE GENERATOR - AFTERNOON
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Maybelline is at her workbench, tinkering with some parts along the lines that she and Strix had discussed not to long ago. Some ideas solid in her head, she's set to figure something out, her tongue sticking out slightly in concentration while she works, though she's made it perfectly clear that if Brun has a question, she shouldn't be afraid to interrupt her.
Brunilda is reading nearby, the elephant still somehow finding new things in the relatively few books of impossible-to-penetrate magitech. She comes across something, hums to herself then glances at Maybelline: "Say, May... did you get have an idea how to do the shield? It seems tricky."
Maybelline glances up from her work, looking back at Brun, "Hmm? Oh yeah! I had some uh... inspiration for that, yeah! We'll see how it all pans out, but I think I've solved the distribution problem. I'm sorta waiting but if I can prototype that, we might be in business."
Brunilda smiles, putting her book aside for the moment: "Good thing to hear. The more I read on this, the more I seem to come across 'need to have and/or know magic to continue'."
Maybelline sighs, turning around in her seat to face the elephant, "Yeahhhh... the magical theory stuff is... rough for folks who don't know magic. At a university level, they expect you to understand it, but practically? I don't know how much it matters if you're not crafting your own ley outputs. There's a reason mana crystals are so popular."
Brunilda gives a soft chuckle, shrugging: "Compared to most any student, I know nothing. I understand when you have piece A and piece B and even a piece C, but all that arcane stuff goes way over my head." She leans back, sighing somewhat: "Magic has never been a thing in my family, far as I know."
Maybelline chuckles, shrugging, "Mine either. I mean, they say Magic is hereditary... except when it isn't." She looks past Brun towards the Generator, "The important thing for Magitech is knowing how much you power you need, and what you need to do to get it."
Brunilda nods, glancing at the Generator as well: "Yeah, that it usually seems to be. Give me straight up values to calculate and I can get somewhere. Magic is all..." She waves her hands vaguely: "...wibbly and wobbly, hard to quantify."
Maybelline: "Very. There's a lot of folks in Sarn trying to figure magic out, and I read a few papers while I was doing my internship that uh... honestly the more they learn the more questions they have."
Brunilda laughs a bit, shaking her head: "As said, way above my head." She glances upwards: "I suppose that does it make pretty hard to reach, heh."
Maybelline waves a hand towards the generator, "But that's sorta what Magitech is about, right? Magic in the hands of the non-magical! Or, sorta. I mean, it's sorta watered down magic... and the technology has to build off of that... it's still really complicated, I suppose."
Brunilda nods, leaning back once more as she looks at the admittedly non-simple book she's in the middle of: "Yes. It kind of is that." She muses: "It's progress, but sometimes that progress feels so slow you know? Or am I just being impatient..."
Maybelline grins, holding up a hand with her fingers held just a little apart. "I did eight years of university courses and a two year internship to learn everything I know, and I'm still in the dark about a lot."
Brunilda laughs softly a bit: "Fair. Or not, depending how you look at it. Best just continue learning..." She lets her smile grow a bit warmer as she thinks of a pretty good reason to continue better herself, one giraffe in particular...
Maybelline watches Brun for a moment, smiling. "Heh. That's my goal. Learning never stops when it's your passion, and this has always been mine."
Brunilda nods, grinning a bit: "Helps that I might have someone to learn for, if you will..."
Maybelline chuckles, "I wasn't going to say anything, but you have seen a bit more upbeat than you have been lately."
Brunilda shrugs, blushing: "Well, yeah. My dumb and kind of relentless pursuit bore fruit. For better or for worse, Fiora's agreed to pursue a relationship with me."
Maybelline perks up, "Oh! That's the... um... I don't know who that is. But I'm glad you two um, figured it out!"
Brunilda glances at Maybelline: "If you can believe it, someone my size. A giraffe bounty hunter, came to town some time ago... we did not exactly hit it off right away..." She lifts a hand to her neck: "...I might have broken her rib and she my heart at the start, but we patched things up..." She shakes her head: "By any measure, it makes no sense."
Maybelline frowns at the mention of 'bounty hunter'. "Hmph. Hope they didn't come into town looking to claim that bounty on Strix, or a broken rib was too good for them."
Brunilda winces at that: "They uh... well, actually Fiora came here for Erika, then learned of Strix, then I refused to cooperate and hurt her..."
Maybelline scowls, "There was a bounty on Erika? Well they shouldn't be going after that either. I'm not a fan of the profession, Brun." She sighs, but shakes her head. "Well, I'm glad you didn't cooperate, and I'm glad you've found someone who wants to be with you even after that. I just hope she doesn't go after anyone we know again. Especially if there's still a bounty on Strix."
Brunilda blinks dumbly: "What? No, no bounty on Erika. She and Fiora are... um, not entirely sure what's their relation, cousins or something. Not sure, Every time I see Erika she talks too fast for me to catch most of it." She frowns then: "I don't know what the situation with Strix is, honestly."
Maybelline crosses her arms, "He's alive, and in hiding..." She takes a deep breath, "I'd be a bit dense if I said people can't change, considering my own family, but... just be careful with this Fiona."
Brunilda frowns, nodding slowly: "Fiora. But consider the warning taken." Her tone of voice perhaps betrays the slight disinclination she has towards actually taking any heed of that warning. She then simply sighs: "I'm not exactly innocent myself, May."
Maybelline nods in return, "You're not stupid either. And... you're my friend. So I hope it works out. Just let her know, if she hurts someone else I care about, including you..." She points her finger, slowly letting it drop, "I really can't back that up. I'm not the kind to break ribs. But I do hold a grudge..."
Brunilda smiles wryly: "Consider that threat-slash-promise taken notice of. I promise you in turn, that if something actually goes wrong, you'll know."
Maybelline relaxes slightly, "Okay... okay, yeah. Sorry. I've never really had enough folks in my life to actually care about until recently. You're one of them, Brunilda. So is Strix."
Brunilda chuckles softly: "Same kinda goes for you. Well, folks I'd gotten to know myself. Family and military are for life, but none of them back in Ondonga were friends I made on my own."
Maybelline dips her head, "Same for me back in Glaushire. I never made any friends with the other students, and I mean... I love my family, of course."
Brunilda sighs, leaning back: "I do miss them, even if I fear what my Grandpa would say about my 'career' right now."
Maybelline chuckles, "Miss my folks too. Thankfully they wouldn't have much negative to say, though my sister would probably call my work 'boring' and 'dull'."
Brunilda laughs softly: "Matter of perspective, I guess. I don't think it was very dull, the way we two got to know each other..."
Maybelline: "Oh, me either. Though, I was terribly unpleasant when I first moved into town."
Brunilda shrugs, giving Maybelline a look: "I'm not exactly the brightest of social butterflies myself."
Maybelline hops down from her stool and walks over to where Brun is sitting, looking up at her with a smile. "Eh. That kind of thing is overrated. I would rather stay at home curled up with a good book these days. Trust me, drinking yourself 'social' isn't worth it."
Brunilda looks at Maybelline, then slowly nods: "Yeah... probably isn't. I don't know. Not sure what I want any given day, still figuring everything out..."
Maybelline chuckles, "Aren't we all? See, the most wonderful thing about finding someone like Louma or Fiora is that you get to figure it all out with them instead of alone."
Brunilda smiles, looking down: "Yeah... that is probably the truth of it. Thankfully Fiora's just as reckless and crazy as I am."
Maybelline snorts, "She must be really reckless, what with your careful reading and dedicated studies." She points a thumb over her shoulder towards the door, "We should probably take a break though. It's getting to be lunch time. Wanna go grab something with me?"
Brunilda nods, getting up: "Let's do that. I only now even realize I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."
Maybelline leads the pair out, locking up the Generator behind them as they head out to find some food, continuing to chat about some magitech theory as they walk.